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Thanks for moving it - I should have thought about the VIN before I posted it.

Here's a twist - I mentioned this to a customer today; turns out he knows the owner (both are SS or SS/E racers), and swears that it is a legitimate ZL-1 motor he has been prompting the owner for years to sell. I would jump at the chance to verify the thing - it would be worth a dollar or two (to say the least) to a ZL-1 owner if it actually was a dated NOS block/heads combo, and not a recent GM recast. In replacement terms, one might consider it to be an orphan -

After reading the first post above this morning, and being fairly close to the seller, I called and spoke with them. The owner said the parts were still in boxes and GM crates and hadn't been opened in 40 yrs. I asked them to remove the crate top and take photos. I received photos of the parts tonigh. The bare block and bare heads appear to have been manufactured in the very early 70's (date on the label of the engine crate is 2-22-73. The owner states that he purchased the parts OTC in the early 70's. I have some detailed (high resolution) photos if anyone desires to see them. I'm not familiar enough with these parts to confirm. If anyone would like to have the high res photos, send me your email address. I'm only about 1-1/2 hrs away if anyone would like me to check out the parts first hand.PS. i do know from my involvement with Trans Am racers in the early/mid 70's, the ZL1 crate engines were available for quite some time into the 70's for racers.

Well, since it's in a crate labeled '73, that would indicate it's a '69 Casting? if someone knows how to find/read/decode the casting codes?PS. Assuming it Is a '69 casting, what is the value of a new (crated) bare block and bare heads?

Thanks for the pics - tremendous resolution but the files are indeed huge. Certainly an 053 casting, love the shot of the crate and the tags (particularly the "off-road use" tag. How in the world could someone keep this bottled up for 40 years and not build it - I don't have the answer.

One head appears to be the service casting number, one is definitely an 842 - both are absolutely new appearing/bare. I do see what appears to be some surface rust areas in the block sleeves, but nothing too serious. I wouldn't kick it out of the garage for being naked -

053 castings are 1997 and up. Are the freeze plugs anodized or pipe plugs? Heads for ZL-1 would be 074 castings. I don't think any Zl-1 blocks were availible over the counter in 1973. What is the part number on the crate?

Please forgive the pictures-of-pictures - it's the only way I could figure out how to reduce the file size (pics are about 4+ MB apiece). I didn't thiink this was a '69 casting date block, as the owner said all along that he bought it in '73 new, but I had always heard (at least) the correct early casting code was an 053. Please note the Special Parts notice , with part number on the tag, plus the date. This tag is apparently right on the crate itself.

Alan Colvin stated in the C-b-t-N's that the 052 was the L88/ZL-1 block, but also mentioned that the 053 was reported (unverified) to have been installed in the first of the ZL-1's. Whether this is a service block, or a Can Am part, or one of the last of the initial casting runs through the Winter Foundry, it's certainly unique and a real surprise to see such a rare part literally in my backyard. I do also agree with Oaklyss on the 074 heads - Colvin does substantiate this, although I always thought them to be '70 and up -

I checked my '74 parts manual before I posted the pictures - the partial or fitted 427 blocks are different part numbers. This probably appears in the Special Performance parts listings (I have one around here somewhere), which would support the part number on the tag. I do not have a clear picture of the freeze plugs. I do have a pic of the 842 head (838 part number), plus the other service part head. So far, everything appears as he described it - early 70's. No claim that it is a '69, just a ZL-1 block. Or should we call it an L88 ? One in the same ?